Things toxic to Ts

[Marijan2]

cold blood -> right on these boards there were handful of reports when people reported their tarantulas didn't feel very well after eating wild caught prey, mainly caterpillars. i'm not going to even try to find them, i'd probably lose a few hours, but to sum it up: wild caught prey IS a real risk and should be avoided

 

[kevp]

Hi there, one substance that hasn't been mentioned and is completely toxic to inverts and that's tobacco smoke. The tobbaco plant and its derivatives are used as a complete and total pesticide. This will kill your t's along with other chemicals.. Such as deoderants, cleaning products and air frwaheners. Hope this helps.. Some1 once mentioned to me that dks could be linked with tobbaco use.. I don't know how true this is though.

 

[jgod790]

Kevp, your a little late. I asked about that back on page 1 or 2. And it has been mentioned a few times after that. Even marijuana smoke has been mentioned. I asked if it is safe to hold a T right after smoking a cig. Cause your hands reek of smoke more then anything after you smoke. I usually wait at least an hour after smoking to handle, and wash my hands good.

 

[cold blood]

Thanks Marijan2, Im certainly understanding that. Back when I first acquired the T, I did research via book. Everything I read seemed to encourage live feed for variety. In fact I recall reading encouragement to feed things such as wasps, saying the exoskeleton would protect it from stings and such and that lost limbs were rare, but would regenerate. Now that I think, they were likely older publications with dated info. I read the only real parasite to worry about were parasitic wasps that lain eggs on the T. I believe I caught one last summer, really interesting, and had no idea they would be here in Wisconsin. Another reason to join here, good current info backed with real world experiences. Thanks folks!

So what do I do come summer and she's ravenous. She's like 25 and shows no enthusiasm with crickets, never has. Rarely taking them and when she does its so incredibly gentle its crazy. Nothing like I see with big moths or larger hopper species where I can instantly see her excitement. She bristles with excitement when she feels beating wings. She snatches em out of the air or chases if they escape the initial contact. With crickets shes not only gently, but if it escapes, its free. And sometimes she just kills them and doesn't even eat them. Hardly an issue with the others as they will pounce on crickets just fine all day....but my old girl's uber picky.

 

[Keith B]

Thanks Marijan2, Im certainly understanding that. Back when I first acquired the T, I did research via book. Everything I read seemed to encourage live feed for variety. In fact I recall reading encouragement to feed things such as wasps, saying the exoskeleton would protect it from stings and such and that lost limbs were rare, but would regenerate. Now that I think, they were likely older publications with dated info. I read the only real parasite to worry about were parasitic wasps that lain eggs on the T. I believe I caught one last summer, really interesting, and had no idea they would be here in Wisconsin. Another reason to join here, good current info backed with real world experiences. Thanks folks!

So what do I do come summer and she's ravenous. She's like 25 and shows no enthusiasm with crickets, never has. Rarely taking them and when she does its so incredibly gentle its crazy. Nothing like I see with big moths or larger hopper species where I can instantly see her excitement. She bristles with excitement when she feels beating wings. She snatches em out of the air or chases if they escape the initial contact. With crickets shes not only gently, but if it escapes, its free. And sometimes she just kills them and doesn't even eat them. Hardly an issue with the others as they will pounce on crickets just fine all day....but my old girl's uber picky.

Super worms and dubia roaches are another popular treat. There's been a bunch of reports that some Ts will refuse crickets after getting a hold of a dubia roach. Haven't tried it myself, cause the lady of the house refuses to allow roaches inside the walls lol, but I hear they're pretty easy to deal with. Yeah, it was the "enlighten me" and "don't give me pesticides" part that came across as arrogant, coupled with refusing to acknowledge any risk to WC prey. Cap it off with grabbing bugs off your shirt and tossing them in and stuff like "I'm feeding one to my chaco right now munch munch", and.. well you see what I mean right? Apologies for going off a little bit there, but it was just the way you wrote it, ignoring any and all risk. I'm usually mellow, so don't judge me by this thread k? I'm easy enough to get along with. There's ALWAYS a risk with everything, that's all I was attempting to get across. And I will still give you pesticides after that post because it's not brought about in TKG and other studies for nothing. I reported that my Ts, not even my slings, react to cigarette smoke at all in the room, and haven't for years. But I'd never say there's not a risk. I choose pet store crickets, not because there's no risk, just less risk in my eyes. Ts thrive in places where man hasn't intervened much or at all, and where man goes, they die..whether it be habitat destruction, pesticides, chemicals, etc. While pesticides aren't sprayed everywhere, I can't be sure where they do spray. And while a parasite could be introduced to a cricket farm, I haven't had that issue happen to me so far, and the opportunities for an insect to pick up any random parasite is far more likely in the wild. While they may not always be the cleanest places on earth by FAR, at least there the crickets are born, grow, breed, and die in that location, away from man-made pesticides and wild parasites. I just see it as less risky than WC prey. I doubt I'll see any difference in the Ts activity if I offer a prey variety, cause they're pretty active already. Although what I am curious about is when I start breeding. I'm curious to see if the nutrition variety would be beneficial to the success of the brood or not. I'm way overdue to start breeding. If only the seller would hurry up and sell me my house....

 

[cold blood]

Yeah, when I went back and re read the post I saw what y'all saw, I'm a big boy and should have proofread that better, d'oh!
I do and have always recognized with every different critter I keep, that any live food presents certain risks.

I never saw lps crickets as more or less safe, until now. And to be fair, I never just toss things in, I always stack the deck in her favor. Either by clipping wings, chilling or both depending on the critter and how big or roudy it is.

The t in question won't even acknowledge superworms or any kind of worm, actually. I do think she'd crush a big roach, but they just aren't available locally and I'm not about to start a roach breeding colony any time soon.

Anyway, points well taken...again, thanks

oh, I'm actually pretty darn mellow and easy going my self, please don't judge me by my initial post. good luck breeding

 

[kevp]

I actualy replied to the very first tx in the thread. Why it came up page 5 I don't know. Either way tobbacco is a toxin to them.

 

[cold blood]

Here's another thing that likely threw me for the past decade plus. Since I was young I have kept fish (schooled and worked in fisheries), One thing I've learned, and that's that the most dangerous thing to an aquarium is adding new fish, especially feeders. Feeders are the absolute most dangerous, as they are kept in crowded conditions that can quickly have a negative impact on water quality that can effect any aquarium they're put into. I don't know anyone who has regularly fed feeder fish that has never has an issue...related issues are all too commonplace.

For an example, I have a 15 yr old red bellied P, and I RARELY feed live due to the possible dangers involved. Its been over 4 years since I put in a feeder goldfish because I'm just too paranoid to risk a lps feeder. That said, I will, without hesitation, feed a small fish or crayfish I happen to catch at local lake (loves the gobies). Far, far less dangerous for my fishy as the natural balance of the lake will almost never result in introduced disease or poor water quality.

I really assumed (and it seems totally logical in my mind), that the cramped dirty conditions feeder crickets are held in, would be no better in terms of health than the similarly kept feeder fish. Feeder fish aquariums are often seemingly much cleaner to the naked eye. After zero trust in lps feeders for decades from a fish standpoint, I'm going to have to retrain my brain to be acceptant of their crix. They just seem so nasty, much nastier than any place I have ever taken a wc prey item from. It really is a nice surprise for me to learn that those issues don't really seem to exist with the crix at the lps. They are just so dirty and cramped have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that they are cleaner and better than anything. I'd rather clean my outside garbage can than one of those feeder cricket houses any day...lol. Oh well, ya live and ya learn.

If you keep aquariums, know that those feeders can be quite dangerous to fish.

 

[Keith B]

I can't stand fish lol. That's what I love so much about Ts. Not so smelly and high maintenance lol. You can keep an eye out for reptile expos in your area. Vendors there will carry all kinds of feeders. You might just be in a bind with that particular T as well. If it's too used to what you were giving it to change up, then that's just how it is. No problem about your post. Saying "there's no risk" comes across as careless, and we all care about our tarantulas immensely here, so it riles us up if we suspect someone is being careless with theirs. Good to know you are taking some precautions I got 3 molts today. Exciting

 

[Marijan2]

ow, found it accidentally, might wanna have look into this thread cold blood http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...-weird-ill-behaviour-Brachypelma-Emilia.-Help!

 

[cold blood]

Fish high maintentance, absolutely....smelly? Only if you are never maintaining it. A well set up aquarium smells like a lake (if at all), I like that smell, very natural and clean, not smelly. Fish rock! T's are fish food for many species....teehee. I will say they are more fun to catch though.

To be fair I never said there was no risk, I said I failed to see the threat. While just about ANY live food is a potential threat, what was meant by me was that I didn't believe the threat to be any different or increased. I now fully understand those increased risks, no need to keep pointing it out, it has indeed sunk in.

Thanks for the post marij, interesting. I have always heard many caterpillers carried toxins as protection and have never considered a caterpillar as T food. If I get even a grub, it goes to my snapping turtle and never a t or even a fish. Many caterpillers sport bright colors, a common indicator that they won't make safe feed.

 

[suntiger117]

Haha yes i smoke mary jane A LOT. No harm lol. I don't exhale even in my room just out the window

 

[cold blood]

My t room has the best air movement, been blowin the smoke in that room on occasion for years. No harm ever noticed here either.

 

[Keith B]

Fish high maintentance, absolutely....smelly? Only if you are never maintaining it. A well set up aquarium smells like a lake (if at all), I like that smell, very natural and clean, not smelly. Fish rock!

That's what I mean. High maintanence. Unless the filtration system is perfect and the right cleaning species kept, the tank has to be maintained rather frequently. Only the people who are EXTRA passionate about fish (same with turtles) keep the aquarium pristine. Most of the people I know that kept fish got them for the kids to look at, or the hell of it, or fung shui, or some just like adding every possible different thing that swims to the tank without doing research first. The result is a smelly mess. At least they don't stink when they're underwater.. Lol I gotta chuckle. This talk kinda brought back something for me when I was younger. "Bobby's World" the television show, had an episode with a song in it that went "Fish don't stink, underwater the fish don't stink. Youtube it. It's pretty funny.

 

[cold blood]

turtles are filthy indeed. Mine are hand fed so I can control their feeding. Amazing how dirty they can get, and ya don't clean a lot or really pay attention to feeding time it can indeed get to be a stinky situation. Like anything, doing it enough and keeping everything soon becomes habit.

 

[Keith B]

turtles are filthy indeed. Mine are hand fed so I can control their feeding. Amazing how dirty they can get, and ya don't clean a lot or really pay attention to feeding time it can indeed get to be a stinky situation. Like anything, doing it enough and keeping everything soon becomes habit.

Tell me about it omg.. My GFs cousin got two turtles at an expo we went to. They turn the water brown in a week! Amazing how fast they eat, grow, and poop the water up lol. They're already a LOT bigger than they were when he got them. I didn't think they grew that fast.

I know we're pretty well off topic now, but it's not the first thread on toxicity, and not much new was covered anyway. whoopsies

 

[viper69]

They turn the water brown in a week! Amazing how fast they eat, grow, and poop the water up lol. They're already a LOT bigger than they were when he got them. I didn't think they grew that fast.

Sounds like humans to me!

 

[Keith B]

Sounds like humans to me!

No thanks. I'll pass on raising a human >.<

 

[Stan Schultz]

I apologize for doing this in advance, but I completely loath the Wikipedia, it is not a respectable or acceptable source of information. The disclaimer says the information cannot be guaranteed nor can it assure the information is valid. "The structure of the project allows anyone with an Internet connection to alter its content".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer

This is a giant internet blog anyone can post in.

Okay, if Wikipedia isn't good enough for you, Google toxic fireflies site:edu.


Like most things about tarantulas, the questions are simple. The answers are marvelously, sometimes maddeningly, complex!